1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a terminal for at least one fiberoptic cable, with a housing 3 with a front surface having at least one slot, with at least one optical transmitting and/or receiving means, with a fitting element which can move in the housing 3 by sliding and which has at least one insertion opening for defined joining of the fiber optic cable to the transmitting and/or receiving means, and with a cutting means which has at least one blade, in the end state, the front face of the fiber optic cable interacting with the contact face of the transmitting/or receiving means.
2. Description of Related Art
A fiber optic cable is an optical component suitable for light transport which often consists of a plurality of, relative to its length, very thin individual glass fibers combined into a bundle; however, in the following, a fiber optic cable is also defined as one with a single fiber. Fiber optic cables also include those optical components which are not made of glass fibers, being formed, for example, of plastic; generally dielectric (optical) waveguides will also be encompassed by the term fiberoptic cable.
Light transport in the axial direction through each individual fiber of the bundle takes place by total reflection on the walls of the fiber cores. To enable the total reflection necessary for light propagation in the fiber, the fiber core of each individual fiber is surrounded by a wall, the so-called jacket, which has a refractive index which is lower than that of the core; generally, the jacket is a closed glass jacket. Fiber optic cables are used to guide the light acting as the carrier oscillation, for example, in optical telecommunications. Transmitters can be, for example, laser diodes and LEDs, while receivers can be, for example, photodiodes. The carrier frequency of the light, which is much higher than that of electrical signals, makes it possible to transmit larger amounts of data in the same time or the same amounts of data in a shorter time than with conventional coaxial cables. Losses in the fiber optic cables can be further reduced by development both of the transmitting and receiving means and also the fiber optic cables.
Connection of two fiber optic cables or connection of one fiber optic cable to a certain component, however, is generally difficult since, in the case of imprecise contact of the front face of the fiber optic cable with the component or fiber optic cable to be connected, distortion of the corresponding signals and/or power loss can occur. Therefore, there is a growing demand for fiberoptic cable terminals which can be quickly connected and which are easy to handle.
German Patent DE 3727092 C1 discloses a fiber optic terminal for receiving and holding an optical fiber in which the fiber optic cable can be inserted into a guide channel of an insert housing which is displaceable within a guide housing, together with the cable, between an insert position and a mounting position by means of a set screw. When the fiber optic cable is moved from the mounting position into the insert position, the front end of the fiber optic cable is cut off by a blade that is fixed in the guide housing. In the optical fiber terminal of this patent, connection of the fiber optic cable to a certain optical component depends on exact positioning of the guide housing relative to the optical component, for example, a second fiber optic cable.
Published German Patent Application DE 195 12 110 A1 discloses a terminal for a fiberoptic cable in which a transmitting and/or receiving means is integrated in the housing so that the fiber optic cable with its front face, in the clamped state, interacts with the contact face of the transmitting and/or receiving means.